Exploring the 2023 New Directors/New Films Festival

Starting March 29 and running through to April 9, Film at Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art present the latest annual edition of New Directors/New Films, a New York City-based film festival that's been running since the 1970s (this would be the event's 52nd edition). As the name implies, ND/NF compiles a group of relatively new filmmakers and their latest works, with most of the selection highlighting directorial debuts. That means a lot of unknown names, but look at the festival's track record and you'll find an impressive list of people who went on to become major names in international cinema: Pedro Almodovar, Spike Lee, Wong Kar Wai, Kelly Reichardt, Guillermo del Toro, Michael Haneke, and plenty more had their first works shown here, just to name a few.

This year, the festival showcases 27 feature films along with 11 shorts, with an emphasis on the broad range of countries represented among the lineup. This includes titles that have already made a splash on the festival circuit, like closing night film "Mutt" by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz, a Sundance award-winner about a trans man navigating through a hellish 24 hours. And while some of the higher profile film festivals around the world like Cannes or Venice rely more on premiering projects from big name artists in world cinema, an event like ND/NF offers dozens of opportunities to discover what might be the next generation of filmmakers pushing the medium forward.

Having seen as much of this year's lineup as we could before ND/NF kicks off tonight, here are six films we think are worth checking out this year. To find out more about the line-up and get tickets, visit www.newdirectors.org

"Joyland"

Winner of the Queer Palm at last year's Cannes Film Festival, Saim Sadiq's "Joyland" tells the story of an unemployed man (Ali Junejo) who lands a job as a backup dancer for Biba (Alina Khan), a trans woman who performs at a theater doing erotic dance shows. As Haider gets to know Biba, his notions around gender, identity, and much more come into question, which spills over into his personal life with his wife and family.

Since winning several awards at Cannes, "Joyland" has taken an interesting journey, where it almost got banned from its home country of Pakistan due to its subject matter despite being the country's submission for Best International Film at the Oscars. The film did eventually get released (after several cuts), and EDGE was lucky enough to interview "Joyland" director Saim Sadiq and producer Apoorva Charan about the film after its Cannes premiere.

"The Maiden"

We're no strangers to Graham Foy's "The Maiden" either, which was one of the best films we saw last year at the Toronto International Film Festival last year and is now making its U.S. Premiere at ND/NF. A story about dealing with loss during one's adolescence, "The Maiden" takes its time to develop into something otherworldly. Its portrait of grief alongside the aimless, rebellious nature of one's high school years gives way to surprising developments that push the film into a place that operates outside of its quiet, suburban setting.

Foy's ability to maintain such a potent mood throughout, and redefine his film without ever breaking the spell it casts, is the an achievement that makes "The Maiden" one of the most exciting directorial debuts in recent years.

"Metronom"

Winner of Best Director in Cannes' Un Certain Regard last year, Alexandru Belc's "Metronom" primarily takes place over a day in the life of Romanian high school student Ana (Mara Bugarin) in 1972, who's distraught over her boyfriend and his family moving out of the country. Against her parents' wishes she sneaks out to a party at her friend's place, where they listen to a banned radio network and dance to American rock songs while she tries to get some alone time with her boyfriend.

Belc's film makes an abrupt tonal shift when the police show up, arresting Ana and her friends for breaking the law then grilling them through interrogations. Shot in Academy ratio, the square framing implies a limited perspective from its young protagonist, before the film's intense second half repurposes it to heighten the paranoia and fear as Ana faces the threat of torture and imprisonment. Belc's film is isolated in nature given its time frame and centering around a single incident, which makes its portrayal of a coming of age clashing against the harsh, authoritarian reality that much stronger.

"Petrol"

Alena Lodkina's sophomore feature "Petrol" is the kind of film that, while it may not work entirely, offers something so singular and enigmatic it generates more excitement than other, more "accomplished" films. Set in Melbourne, it follows film student Ava (Nathalie Morris), who crosses paths with performance artist Mia (Hannah Lynch) and forms an immediate bond. The two get along so well that Mia invites Ava to move into a room at the house she's staying at, but soon she becomes more cold and distant, until she vanishes for an extended period of time and Ava's fascination turns into obsession.

The ambiguities and mysteries surrounding Mia have a relatively short shelf life in "Petrol," but what Lodkina's film lacks in its narrative is made up in spades by the unique tone she maintains. Moments where the supernatural, like a beach picnic generated out of thin air or someone levitating in the middle of a party, come across as mundane things that could either be happening or entirely in Ava's head. "Petrol" has no concern with explaining its magical elements or providing them with any sort of context, and it's all the better for it. Many films, especially from newer directors, make more of a fuss about establishing its own world and the parameters within it. Lodkina repeatedly upends any expectations or assumptions, making it impossible to pin "Petrol" down from one moment to the next.

"Safe Place"

Probably the most harrowing film in this year's ND/NF lineup, Juraj Lerotić's "Safe Place" comes from a personal place for its filmmaker, who also writes and plays the lead role. Lerotić plays himself, and the first time we see him he's barging into the apartment of his brother Damir (Goran Marković) to stop him from attempting suicide. He succeeds, but once the authorities show up Lerotić and his mother (Snježana Sinovčić Šiškov) have to put up with uncaring policemen, hospital workers, and psychiatrists who keep shuffling Damir around until they decide to take care of him themselves.

Lerotić's film has a visceral quality to it in the way he portrays the immediacy of the situation, and the inability to help a loved one as they go through a mental health crisis. For the most part, "Safe Place" exists in the present moment, with its characters frantically trying to find a solution to something beyond their comprehension and ability, which ratchets up the tension given the life or death stakes. But the most remarkable thing about "Safe Place" is how Lerotić takes a massive risk early on, where an interaction between him and Damir drops all pretenses and breaks the fourth wall, letting viewers in on the autobiographical aspect of the story. It's a bold swing that lands hard, and lingers throughout the rest of the film until its gut punch of an ending.

"Tótem"

Coming straight from its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, Lila Avilés' "Tótem" opens as a day in the life from the perspective of Sol (Naíma Sentíes), a child dropped off by her mother at her grandparents' home as everyone prepares for a birthday party for her father (Mateo Garcia). Avilés' camera, roaming around the house and ever curious, drops in on Sol's extended family, the housekeeper, and other personalities as they gradually fill in the details about why this particular celebration is so special.

Avilés spends much of the first two acts around Sol, with an emphasis on the spaces she inhabits and how impossible it is to get away from the commotion going on around her. Eventually, as we come to learn the circumstances around the birthday party, "Tótem" branches out to include the perspectives of Sol's parents, and much of the last act unfolds with a deep melancholy. Avilés crafts a sad, compelling slice of life with her latest feature, one filled with terrific performances and little sentimentality around a premise that could have easily fallen into something more mawkish.